


Old Wounds

by TheSmolFlexibleBean



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: FINALLY I DON'T START AT JESSE'S CHILDHOOD, Inspired by Hang the Fool, Jesse McCree & Genji Shimada Are Best Friends, Jesse McCree had PTSD, M/M, More characters as I go, Slow Burn, This Kills Canon. I know. I've been playing Retribution.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-03-01 08:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSmolFlexibleBean/pseuds/TheSmolFlexibleBean
Summary: Jesse McCree had so many wounds unclosed. So many memories chasing his brain to Hell and back. With a newly reinstated Overwatch and nagging questions, he sets out on what will hopefully answer things he left to die, old wound that never healed. And maybe, even bring him a new start.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I dropped the ball on my last fic so I promise I'll have straight up McHanzo here! Starting at Recall and going from there. I PROMISE. And the inspiration from Hang the Fool is panic attacks from the DeadEye.

**_Recall._ **

 

 _Jesse McCree had never hoped to see or even hear those words in his presence. Those words that echo and shake you to the core as one stares into the abyss of bad decisions and destructive mistakes. He’d been running for five years now; dodging bounty hunters, to cops, to incredibly enthusiastic crime solvers. Those were the weirdest one. Who had the time in their damn short lives to hunt down a vigilante ‘criminal’ cowboy in the fucking middle of Austin, Texas anyways._ _  
_

  
_None of that mattered now as he replayed the video on the cracked holopad in his right hand, the audio and video flickering. He still had the gist of the situation though since his old commander hadn’t trained a fool, blessed be his resting soul six feet under. Overwatch was being reinstated, under the radar to help keep the peace Talon had been destroying slowly._

  
_But was Overwatch even wanted? Jesse knew damn well that was a hell no. Who would want an organization that had a ‘secret cleanup crew’, right? He scoffed at the thought as he took a swig of the nearby bottle of whiskey, one leg hanging off the edge of the barn loft he’d been sleeping in the past two weeks._

  
_Always moving, always hunted. That was his life now. He sighed through his nose and set the holopad down, gathering up his meager belongings. A picture, torn at the edges of himself as a much younger man in BlackWatch with his commander. A tattered red bandanna that never seemed to be clean and was always stained with something or the other. Food rations, needing refilling. A water canteen, recently topped off. Spare ammo, also running low. Gun cleaning kit, well kept. Peacekeeper, also well kept._

  
_Old habits, they really were hard to kill. Even years down the line his muscles screamed when he didn’t repeat his daily ritual of cleaning and checking every item like a military list in his brain. Another swig of whiskey and he had an empty bottle. Well better to smash that than let someone get his DNA. Not like anyone even lived in this area anymore and would be around to hear it after the crisis happened._

  
_Down the decrepit ladder with his things he went, walking to the barn door and pulling it open to abandoned and wildly growing fields of wheat. The breeze seemed to lick at the stalks, giving them a dance nobody would understand. Jack would have liked this sort of shit...but he was long dead too, just like Ana. Just like Overwatch was. He let out another long sigh, shaking his head as he headed out into the fields to where he knew the road would be._

  
_A single figure, walking through the fields of yellow as they brushed against him softly. The thought was almost poetic to his mind at the least. Maybe one day he’d write a book about it, though that was doubtful. Who would want to read a book by a former BlackWatch agent anyways, especially one who was a criminal both before and after the age of heroes._

  
Jesse was pulled from his daydreaming as a bird landed on the railing next to him, chirping its’ little heart out. The moment he even moved a muscle it was off in flight, gone from his personal space. _He should have really kept to his thoughts two months ago. He never should have messaged Winston for a pickup. He never should come in the first place_

  
Watchpoint: Gibraltar. That was his home now for the past week. A place decrepit and aged, worn to the bones just like he was. People had come to the call, those who still had the fight in their hearts. Winston, the gorilla scientist with a very interesting tempter. Tracer, bless her little British heart. There was Reinhardt and Torbjorn too, the only elders of the watch left. And Mercy, dear and angelic Doctor Ziegler. All of the old heroes of Overwatch back under one small roof. 

  
But that raised the question he kept asking himself. _Why did_ **_he_ ** _come?_ He wasn’t Overwatch after all. He’d been part of the crew that had brought down everything according to the documents. The crew who slaughtered and manipulated as if it was like riding a bike. The people who were nothing but scum. 

  
He still had no answer to that question, that was for sure. If he did, he wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be searching through what used to be his whole life and world. Days of sunshine and laughter, relaxing and hiding with old friends. Nights spent smoking cigarettes on the roof and getting philosophical with Genji. 

  
_Genji Shimada...there was a character._ He was the only other person who’d really known what Blackwatch was like...at least the only other living and not arrested person. He had gotten a pass during the Petras Act since he left before the fall, going off to find himself and never being heard from again. 

  
All this mulling over the past was giving him a headache. And headaches lead to him drinking it away. And that led to...well he’d rather not think about it. Turning on his heel, he was headed inside to get a cup of coffee. Just a little something to soothe the soul. Who cared if it was four in the morning anyways?

  
Into the kitchen he went, flicking the light on as Athena flickered onto the screen nearby. Well, he at least had the comfort of an AI in the early hours since his old cyborg companion was in unknown parts possibly alive of not. 

  
**Agent McCree. Would you like me to activate the coffee pot for you?**

  
“Hm? Nah. I’m gonna make a little special blend. No need to turn anything on.” 

  
**Very well.**

  
He chuckled lightly as he turned the gas stove on and got out a very old looking kettle he’d managed to dig out of a back cabinet. He poured enough water in for one cup whilst accounting for boiling depletion and set it on the flame, stretching out his old bones. _Just something to soothe the soul, nothing like cowboy coffee._ Even if it turned out shit he still had coffee and coffee was coffee in his lifestyle. 

  
The water boils and then it’s two tablespoons to eight ounces. Four minutes, a little cold water and a slow pour. He cleaned everything up and settled down on a chair as he heard the more enthusiastic morning people getting up and ready. _Probably Reinhardt, he’s always up early to make breakfast._

  
That was the thing the others never understood. Jesse was always up well before them and tidy as hell, but he seemed to be the laziest creature in existence. He was always napping, always just barely asleep or stuffing his face. He never seemed like someone who was a killer; a BlackWatch agent. But that was the secret to such things. Seem harmless, act deadly; just like a rattlesnake. Only strike to protect or to kill. Give them a fair warning. _He could almost hear the rattling right now._

  
He shook his head, taking another sip of his coffee. His soul definitely needed soothing if this shit was starting up again. Hearing and seeing things not there. Catching shadows in the corners of his eyes. Things he wished would end and never return to him. But that was the price to pay with demons. _They take a piece of you slowly, dragging out the inevitable. Dragging you closer and closer to insanity, to that edge of the cliff with one push to send you down into the embrace of the flames below._

  
He hadn’t even realized he’d completely clocked out of reality until he heard a gruff clearing of someone’s throat. He muttered something in Spanish with the word commander cut off. _He wasn’t in his twenties anymore. He wasn’t around Reyes anymore._ His eyes lifted from the coffee cup to see Reinhardt looking at him with a bit of concern. 

  
“Huh? You say something?” He blinked softly, letting his mind come back to him. 

  
“Yes uhm...you were staring into your cup. Are you alright?” 

  
Jesse cracked a small smile and downed the rest of his coffee. “Fit as a fiddle Rein. Just having a little thought go through my head. That’s all.” 

  
Reinhardt managed a nod before going to start breakfast. _Still wary, just like everyone else._ He got up and stretched, placing his cup in the sink before tipping his hat to the elder German. He walked off without another word, deciding to take a stroll outside. Just another moment to ease his mind. But his mind was never at ease, not really. Years of spec ops and running had made him aware to every acute sound. 

  
This alerted him to the sound of a sword being drawn and rapid footsteps as he ducked, the hat being swept off his head by a blade as he rolled onto one knee, lining up a shot at...a robot with a katana? _He had an old nagging at the back of his brain, just enough to try an old code._

  
“I didn’t know sparrows flew to Spain.” He spoke with his eyes trained on the movement of the figure who grabbed the hat off the ground and touched their face plate, letting it fall into their other hand. 

  
“And I didn’t know wolves prowled after three am.” The voice was calm, a Japanese lull with a hint of sass. 

  
Jesse lowered the gun and got up slowly, not holstering it but not raising it to fire either. “Well then, I’m guessing you saw the call too. Been a while old friend, if we’re still on civil terms.” 

  
Genji turned to the other and walked forward, gently placing the hat on Jesse’s messy brunette locks before sheathing his sword. Jesse countered by holstering his gun. A pause like ancient gears turning passed over them before they both cracked a smile. 

  
“So, you aren’t going to kill me. Guess it’s not like old times.” Jesse chuckled lightly and playfully pushed his old companion who pushed him back, laughing. 

  
“No, more like the time you got stuck in the vents and had to call His Royal Pain in the Ass over the comm because you dropped your sandwich down it.” The two laughed and leaned against each other before a soft humming came from around the corner. 

  
The world cooled, the laughter fell. Jesse’s hand instinctively went for the gun. Genji’s hand went for Jesse’s arm. There was another long pause, a silence that could break a thousand well wishes into war as an omnic in robes came around the corner and passed. 

  
“Jesse. Don’t.” Genji’s words were soft, almost scared. 

  
“It’s an omnic.” Jesse half growled back to him. 

  
“He’s my master. A monk. He’s completely harmless and peaceful. I can promise you that. It was by his word I even answered the call.” 

  
Jesse’s muscles relaxed slowly, the twitch gone from his hand as he let go of the gun. Genji let go of Jesse’s arm. The world came back to the three figures once more. It was like the universe let out a sigh of relief and the two parted. Jesse tipped his hat to the omnic who gave a light wave and floated on his way. He trusted Genji after all, at least enough to let the omnic live for today. 

  
After all, they both went through the Omnic Crisis. They both knew the destruction that came about it to the world and what that meant for their lives and homes. They’d been through the ringer of their lives and their professions. They had a bond most would only make in times of war expanded from times of peace. Brothers in arms and brothers in life. 

  
Jesse took a calming breath and nodded to Genji, tilting his head towards the door. “Others might want to catch up, see your progress.” 

  
Genji smirked in response. “And Angela might want to check up on you too. I know how you avoid any and all medical testing.” 

  
Jesse gave a vague wave of his hand with a shrug, a common gesture between them for ‘subject change’. Genji nodded and the two walked inside the base once more, unaware of the the glimpse of yellow for only a moment, gone in an instant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You cry out, 'Where has Bean gone!'. Well the answer is simple. School. I've been in college suffering from my first 4 year college semester. But it finished today so I'm freed! I can finally yeet myself back into McHanzo hell. Hope you enjoy my descent into Jesse's nightmares.

**_Two months._ **   


  
It had been two months since Genji had returned to him. Ten weeks since he answered the call and still people avoided him like that plague. But not Genji.  _ Genji was different, enlightened. No reason for him to kill anyone. _ He let out a long, drawn out sigh as he stared up into the twilight. He hadn’t been sleeping well recently, not since Genji had returned. 

 

Had it been the questions? Or was it the late nights up just trying to catch up to each other’s lives since they departed. Jesse had just been turning a nice age of...thirty...something when he left after all. He’d been on the run for five years...maybe more? He could barely even remember after all the things his life had entailed. Almost a decade of his life wasted away in guilt and fear. A time he could have been free, doing something productive instead of hiding and running from every single soul that wanted him dead.   
  


_ The funny thing about souls was, they never stay quite so dead either. _

 

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook away yet another echo from his mind, another speck from his past dredged up from the depths of his blackened soul. The worst part of it all was the more he lingered on such things the worse his mood seemed to get. Everyone could easily adjust to this and yet here he was dragging his heels and stumbling over it all.  _ It just didn’t make sense. _   


  
And soon they were apparently getting a new recruit too, someone from Korea. A soldier who fought in a suit of mechanical prowess but also was basically a little girl who played video games. Hadn’t they fought the war with omnics so kids would never have to fight again? So children wouldn’t have to grow up too fast?   


  
_ And there he was sinking lower into his mind. Further into the pits of Hell that echoed the sounds of the desert like gunfire through his skull. _ Now he really needed a drink. It was late enough nobody would bother him if he raided the liquor cabinet...right? A groan passed his lips this time as he turned on his heels and went straight for it, grabbing the whiskey with a speed someone as ‘lazy’ as him shouldn’t have.

 

Down went the poison, the fire that kept his internal machine going...or well, probably was slowly destroying it. He didn’t care either way. The sooner he left this damned planet of stares, the better in his case. He let his mind wander with the liquor as he stumbled to his room. What he wasn’t expecting was someone inside it, sitting on his bed.   


  
“Jesse, we need to talk. And put the whiskey down.” Genji sighed and shook his head in an all too knowing way as Jesse put down the bottle.

 

“What’s this all about.” Jesse crossed his arms out of habit as Genji got up from McCree’s bunk.   


  
“Your terrible coping mechanisms for one.” He started counting off fingers. “Drinking, smoking, insomnia. It’s worse than when we were in Reyes’-” Genji was cut off by Jesse.   


  
“Don’t speak his name.” He growled it out which caused Genji to take a step back, sobering up Jesse a lot.  _ He sounded just like the demon that time. Shit. _ “Sorry...It’s just…” He sighed.   


  
“Hard. I know. Which is why you should be trying to work things out. Like I did with my brother.” You could hear the tenseness in Genji’s voice betray his seemingly happy emotion.   


  
“Your...brother. The one who killed you.” Jesse let out a huff and went to his bunk, sitting down.   


  
“Yes, my murdering brother. I told you this already. We’re on good terms now. I doubt he will take my offer though. It’s…” Genji gave a small hand motion.   


  
“Hard.” Jesse finished the sentence for his friend. “Like letting go is hard. Like what happened is hard. Like…” He flopped down. “Like everything’s hard.”   


  
“Just try to rest Jesse. Things will get better. I’m proof of that.” He had a smile to his voice now as he left the room, having gotten whatever he wanted out of Jesse.   


  
That was the worst part of it all. Everyone wanted something out of Jesse. Redemption, something to fear, something to study. Well the last one had stopped when he left Blackwatch since Moira couldn’t get her long nailed fingers on him anymore. Nobody could harm him anymore, save from beyond the grave.   


  
He shut his eyes and tried to attempt some semblance of sleep, knowing all too well there was only two results that ever came from this. Either he would have no dreams and be cast into the dark and unforgiving void of blackness, or he would end up with sweat inducing nightmares because of his damn demons, both made and forced upon him. And he hated the ones the actual physical manifestation of wrath liked to play into the nightmares. Soon enough he slipped into his world of unconsciousness.

  
  
_ J e s s e . . . _

 

**_J e s s e . . ._ **

 

_ “Jesse!” The voice cut through his sleep as he shot awake, his hat sliding down over his eyes which he quickly adjusted. _ _   
_

_   
_ _ They were on a hyperplane, headed for Gods only knew where this time. He must have dozed off in it all. He looked around the plane, rubbing his eyes as he took it all in. Genji was boredly picking at his wiring, a pissed off look on his face as usual. He wondered if the cyborg had been pulled from whatever sense of sleep the man managed these days like Jesse did. When Genji met his eyes he looked away, going back to the mindless fidget he’d developed over the past two years. _

 

_ On his right was Moira, tapping away at a holopad with a smug expression on her lips. The way she looked at anyone could have turned even the devil himself to cold ice, frozen by her seemingly terrifying aura. He still wasn’t sure why Reyes had ever put her anywhere close to a living body, especially after what happened to Rodriguez. They were still scraping parts of him off of the ceiling the last Jesse checked. _

 

_ And then there was the commander himself. He looked overworked, tired. Like he would drop any second but was trying not to show it. His eyes seemed darker than they used to be too, almost like they had a tint of red to them but it could have just been the light.  _

 

_ The crimson light that flickered and etched into their souls, washing them in the colors of blood as Jesse gripped his gun tighter in his hand. He’d seen so many people blown to bits, people’s eyes fading from the light of life into nothing but an echo, a shell and husk of death. It still shook him to the core, even after so many years of it broken into his spirit. _ _   
_

__   
_ He tried to calm his soul but he could feel that panic at the back of his mind, the cool ice of the demon edging him on.  _ **_Beware. There is danger. Beware._ ** _ He shook his head to try to clear it before he heard the alarm rise through the hold as everyone undid their restraints. _ __   
__   


_ “Alright let’s move!” Jesse was the last to get his restraints off as the door opened and everyone jumped. But something held him back, held him in place as he stared. Something clogged his throat and his eyes went wide as he saw one by one, the parachutes were being ripped and stained in blood. Explosions rang in his head. _

  
  
He shot up in bed, holding his chest as he felt something sharp on his forehead. His eyes shot open and in the dark there was a shadow, dark against the darkness of the room itself with all light blocked out. An arrow shaft was all he could see along with the golds and blues of a bow.   


  
All at once the shadow moved and slid out through the curtains, the window definitely open. All he could really remember of the faint glimpse he got of him was an arm tattoo and a golden ribbon in a ponytail. 

 

_ He had the weirdest boner...well he better take care of it now. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry y'all I had this written like a week ago but I got a job and then landed in the ER so...yeah enjoy ^^

**_Time still refused to let him rest._ **

  
  
Jesse knew there was new recruits. That didn’t mean he wanted to associate with them. That would mean getting close and he couldn’t even get close with Genji anymore. Genji was always off with his ‘master’ now, leaving Jesse to his own thoughts most nights. Still, he avoided any confrontation.   


  
Why would he want to cause trouble after all? He knew he was basically a lab rat here, seeing how long it took him to snap and be sent off to some remote prison. At least, that’s what the demon always told him, letting him see things that weren’t quite there. Hearing things that were better left into the caverns of hell that they came from.

 

Tonight he was roaming later that he usually did, going to his usual spot to watch the stars. He could let his mind wander here, let his thoughts dissipate into the darkness of the night as he lit a cigarillo.   


  
The night was cool today, a calm wind blowing across his body as if caressing his thoughts into a sense of placancy that could only be achieved by the quiet of the world. He closed his eyes and let his mind disappear into the memories that he could replay like his own personal film reel behind his eyelids.

 

 

_ Jesse couldn’t believe he ever got caught. He was the sharpest shot in the whole damn Deadlock Gang and now he was handcuffed to a damn pole with his wrists over his head in a tiny room with nothing but a chair. He should have listened to the damn voice in his head. Even if it freaked him out half the time. He struggled to stand up fully from his knelt position, looking above his head to the handcuffs. _ _   
_

_   
_ _ He could climb up the wall but he’d probably dislocate a shoulder. Well, no harm no foul on that. He ran forward, swinging his body so his boots planted on the wall. One step at a time he climbed upwards until he could hug the pipe and tried to see what kind of cuffs they stuck him in. _ __   


_   
_ _ Fuck...He’d never seen anything like this before. They were all weird and glowing. He huffed and lowered himself down the way he came. Well, if they left him in here to starve he’d at least have some entertainment with the wall at least. _ __   


_   
_ _ It took three more bored wall maneuvers before the door opened, a man looking tired but a little humored. He walked to the chair and sat down, watching Jesse with dark eyes. The eyes reminded him so much of a Rattlesnake wanting to strike. A coyote ready to pounce. He was halfway up the wall at that moment as he dropped fast, hearing his shoulder pop in the wrong way. _ __   


_   
_ _ “Well, you’re definitely not as stupid as you look.” The man opened a folder and watched Jesse just in his field of vision. “Jesse McCree...seventeen years old. Good with a pistol, bad with manners.” _ __   


_   
_ _ “Hey, fuck you!” He huffed and tried to get traction on his boots to kick off the wall and kick him but his demon decided otherwise and kept him in place. _ _   
_ __   


_ “I rest my case.” He shook his head and closed the folder. “You honestly have two options here kid. One of them involves you being turned into a human pinata in a jail cell. The other...well could be a new leaf. A new chance.” _ _   
_ __   


_ “Why’d ya think I’d take either one.” Jesse spit at the ground. _ _   
_ __   


_ “Because if you don’t the third option gives me legal right to kill you and call it ‘self defense’.” _ _   
_ __   


_ Jesse’s blood ran cold as he looked away. He was used to treatment like this in Deadlock but...this guy’s voice held more malice. Like he wanted Jesse to take option three with all his god damned dark skinned heart. _

  
  
Jesse opened his eyes when he heard the voices behind him. They didn’t seem wary of him, more curious. He picked up the words ‘cowboy cryptid’ in the mix and sighed through his nose.  _ How could they be so calm around him. Didn’t they get a lecture from Tracer or something? _ He turned around when he knew their eyes weren’t on him and took them in.   
  


_ So these two were the future of the world. _ A gamer and a musician freedom fighter. They seemed to be lacking any real fire to them though. At least, not on the surface. Jesse knew damn well there was more than meets the eye to every person. Backed into a corner, anyone would kill.   
  


The two turned around and froze, causing a smile to creep onto Jesse’s lips which made them back up a bit.  _ There it was. The natural fear of a former BlackWatch member. _ But it was only for an instant before they basically shut down all fear and became...friendly. It was a bit unnerving to say the least. Years of being avoided and hated and then...this.   
  


The world seemed almost to lose its sharpness for a moment, reminding him of nights with the other BlackWatch members, boozing and laughing as they beat each other up. He sighed and let his body relax.   
  


“Alright, calm down. This old man ain’t used to the kindness. Lucio and Hana right?”   
  


“Heck yeah! Damn you’re like a western movie!” Lucio laughed and Hana bounced over.   
  


“Do you like video games? I have this epic shoot ‘em up!” Hana was practically vibrating as she started asking questions all over the place.   
  


He felt a twinge of regret in that moment, knowing they were just kids really, too young to be dealing with the pain of war and battle. One was a pilot for Korea. One had taken down a corporation through music.  _ He had to remember they weren’t children but soldiers. Innocents didn’t exist in this world anymore. _   
  


So he let his world soften, to accept a connection with these young souls as he put out his Cigarillo and walked inside with them.  _ Just this once, he could let his guard down enough to connect. To set them at ease. _   


  
His mind was interrupted by a message into his communicator from Genji that had him tearing off from the duo and down to the prison cells of Gibraltar.

  
  
_ ‘Jesse. My brother came. But he tried to kill someone.’ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO AIN'T DEAD. It's me, ya boy, smol bean. This will be either the last or second to last chapter before my convention so you'll have to struggle through some lack of writing, sorry. I only get a few days off a week and I've been consumed by Creativerse. Enjoy this chapter though, hopefully you get the parallel.

**_Why was he doing this._ **

**  
** **  
** Down the elevator, down into the depths of the base is where he was going. He sighed through his nose and rolled his shoulders as the doors opened and he walked down the dark and empty halls.  _ Hanzo Shimada. The man who killed his own brother for some clan code thing. Well, that wasn’t too far off of the Deadlock Code. You do what you must to survive. _   


  
He stopped when he saw Genji, his helmet off and his eyes having a faraway look to them. It’d been so long since he’d seen Genji’s face and he had aged well. His eyes were still soft but with a hidden harshness he had become used to. His hair was black which he was still getting used to. His eyes did soften when he saw Jesse though.   


  
“Sorry to make you come all this way.” He gave a nervous laugh.   


  
“Not a problem. Who he try to kill?” He was just of sightline to see whoever was in the cell.   


  
“Tracer.” That got a snort out of Jesse.   


  
“That little bee? Surprised.” He gave a small smile and a silent conversation passed between them.   


  
They both knew Hanzo was a dangerous man back in the day and the only reason they were speaking was because someone knocked him out. Jesse’s best guess was Winston since those two were always around each other. He could also see how nervous Genji was about this whole ordeal. Jesse tilted his head towards the elevator and Genji quickly took his leave.   


  
Well, a nap wouldn’t hurt would it. And he could rest in that chair in the meantime. He knew those cells were a lot more secure than back in the day when he would break out of them for practice when Reyes threw him in there for misbehavior. He let his eyes slip shut.

  
  
“ _ Apollo! Artemis! Hey!” Jesse called after the young recruits who were walking down the hallway in Blackwatch: Lisbon. _ _   
_

_   
_ _ “Hm? What do you want.” Apollo turned. “And I said you call call me Elijah. Not like my dad’s still around to call me Junior.” _ __   


_   
_ _ “That was nine years ago brother. Please…” Artemis sighed softly. _ __   


_   
_ _ “Violet…” Apollo groaned. “Fine. But what do you want old man.” _ __   


_   
_ _ “Well, first of all, harsh. I’m only like what...ten years older than you?” Jesse gave a nervous chuckle. _ __   


_   
_ _ “Almost two decades old man.” Apollo rolled his eyes. _ __   


_   
_ _ “Well fair. And Reyes said he had a mission for you. Somewhere in NYC.” Jesse shrugged. “Don’t cause any damage this time.” _ __   


_   
_ _ “I’ll take your face off with shadows.” Apollo growled and stormed past him. _ __   


_   
_ _ “I am...sorry about him. Mom just died.” Artemis looked away. _ __   


_   
_ _ “It’s alright.” Jesse smiled softly. “Sorry for your loss.” _ __   


_   
_ __ Artemis walked by and Jesse walked on down the hallway into the unknown.   


 

  
**_BANG_ **

**_  
_ ** **_  
_ ** Jesse’s eyes shot open to see the watchpoint ward with his knuckles to the cell wall as if trying to smash the clear glass that Jesse could see into. He stopped his thought train for a moment as he took in the man’s features.   


  
The first thing he noticed was his eyes, a golden brown set against the angled features of his face. The silver in his sideburns and beard and the almost lordly air he held himself with made Jesse’s entire being shiver. Further down was the toned chest, his top loose on the left side to show a massive blue tattoo of two dragons. And then he noticed a very significant piece to the man.  _ The golden ribbon. This guy had tried to kill him in his sleep. Oh god he’d jerked off to Genji’s brother. _

 

He took a mental moment before he took his eyes away from Hanzo and pulled out a cigarillo. Why did he always end up attracted to people who tried to kill him. This was what...the third person in his life now? There was that assassin women from Georgia. The fling with Reyes a few times but that was only a fling and he was younger. He wasn’t the man he was now...except for the awkward boners.   


  
“Well?” Jesse looked back at Hanzo and quirked a brow as he lit up and took a drag of the poison he craved. “Gonna talk or just glare at me like I stabbed your pet.”   


  
“Idiot.” It was the only word Hanzo said before turning away and going to his cell bed and sitting down.   


  
_ He hoped he didn’t have a boner right now. _ Jesse turned back away to at least give the other a smidgen of privacy. He knew how little one could get in situations like this and he obviously didn’t want to talk or acknowledge Jesse’s existence so he let his mind wander.

  
  
~

  
  
_ Why was he here. Why had he come to talk to Genji. He could have left when he saw the idiot and his brother talking and laughing. He could have left when he paused on killing that same man. Why had he even paused. This man was in his way of getting to his brother and fixing his mistakes. _ _   
_

_   
_ **_Why was he here._ **


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back from the great server crash of 2k18! I managed to finally write this after some...tragic events. Still I wish you all to enjoy!

**_Two Weeks._ ** Two weeks since Hanzo had been captured and still he wouldn’t talk. Well, not like Overwatch was big on interrogations. Not the ones Reyes conducted at least which he figured was both a blessing and a curse. No blood to clean up but also no information. A limbo of words stuck just at the tip of everyone’s tongue.  _ How dangerous was this man. Was he going to turn out like Jesse. Can we even trust Jesse. _   


  
He hated hearing those whispers, those doubts at the edge of everyone’s minds. He hadn't been on missions. He hadn’t caused a fuss. Still, he was untrusted to even be near a weapon. Guns were only allowed in the shooting range.  _ Shit that would do if they ever got attacked. _ He shook his head from the thought and headed down the hall with a tray of food, heading for the deposit shoot.   


  
It was something Jesse had learned fairly quickly with Hanzo. He didn’t want anyone but his brother to deliver his meals. He didn’t want his meals made by anyone other than his brother as well. Jesse still made them though since Genji was always so busy with his ‘master’. Jesse was offered to join them but...it wasn’t his right. It wasn’t a thing he would ever feel alright participating in. After all, the demon hated when he would calm his mind.

 

He sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling that odd chill go down his spine as he groaned. “Shut it. I’m not gonna fuss with ya.”   


  
“Who ya talkin to?” The light British voice made Jesse nearly jump out of his skin as he turned fast, a smile on his face to hide his emotions.   


  
“Just myself. Nothin to worry over.” He gave a light shrug and quickly headed off, wanting to end the conversation there. His head wasn’t right enough to talk to anyone.

  
  
~

  
  
Hanzo looked up from his cell as his food arrived once more alone. But he had gotten used to such things as his brother refused to come. He was always away with that  _ omnic _ after all. But he couldn’t place that look in his eyes when Genji saw him. It wasn’t fear. Nor was it anger. It was something deeper even still, as if he regretted what he had done.   


  
And this  _ Overwatch. _ A disgrace to the world and a disgrace of a business. They couldn’t even handle themselves professionally in any setting. He could remember it from his youth, his little brother so obsessed with being a ninja hero.  _ Well he got what he wanted, didn’t he. _ He groaned and grabbed the stupid tray of food and ate, mulling over his thoughts.   


  
Why was he bothering to stay? Why didn’t he just lie his way out and run away from all this nonsense.  _ Right, Genji. _ That was at least what he kept telling himself. Genji never came after all. Nobody came to visit him but that idiot of a man whose scent permeated of wet dog smell and cigarette smoke. Not to mention the alcohol the idiot always seemed to be drinking no matter the time of day. It annoyed him that someone so careless could be walking free.

 

He quickly finished his meal and decided to meditate, shutting his eyes and letting his mind wander back to better days.   


 

  
_ “Haaaaanzoooooo!” Genji whined as he flopped over his brother’s lap, getting a scoffed in response. _ _   
_

__   
_ “What. Did the dogs lick your feet in your sleep?” Hanzo cracked a small smile at his brother’s pouting. _ __   


__   
_ “No! Father says I have to marry someone he picks. That isn’t fair! What if we hate each other!” _ __   


__   
_ “It’s tradition Genji. Mother was chosen for father and the same will will be done for us.” His voice fell a bit hollow on that sentence. _ __   


__   
_ “You hate it too! I knew it!” Genji jumped up. “Why don’t we run away! We can marry whoever we want! We could...join the circus! Genji and Hanzo the amazing high flying act!” _ __   


__   
_ Hanzo chuckled lightly and stood up, ruffling his younger brother’s hair and shaking his head. “The circus is no place for young lords, as tempting as it may seem.” _ __   


_   
_ _ “You’re no fun!” Still Genji was laughing. _

  
  
Hanzo’s eyes opened when he heard the hiss of the door opening, alarms blaring coming to his ears.

  
  
_ Something had happened. He needed to find Genji. _   



	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finished another chapter of this so...imma just yeet this your way. Start theorizing cause you just got a hint dropped on you for the future. Enjoy~

Jesse was running down the halls as the alarms blared, sliding into the armory and grabbing his pistol with one swift movement. This is why you don’t put your shit away where it isn’t readily available. He shook the thought away, leaning against the wall next to the door. He wasn’t even thinking now, his old Black ops skills kicked into gear. The sound of the alarms faded from his mind, he was tuned into the sound of footsteps and gunshots now.

 

No signs of life. Someone in the medbay, three gunshots. He raced around the door, ignoring his own footsteps as he raced to the med bay. He saw a few bodies on the ground, thankfully Talon. He made sure to stop right outside the door though just in case.

 

“Angie! Status!” He made sure to be loud enough that he didn’t get shot.

 

“I’m fine Jesse. Genji ran off.” There was another gunshot and a body hitting the floor. When did Mercy get a gun.

 

“Okay, round ‘em up and take ‘em down!” He was off once more, now on a sweep of the building.

 

He knew Talon used Black Watch tactics. Gabe’s tactics. He also knew damn well his old commander never died. Not after what Moira did to him. He shuddered at the thought, feeling that shiver go down his spine whenever he thought of that Celtic freak. Room by room he cleared out Talon agents. That was until he got to the common room.

 

If it wasn’t a high stress situation he would probably laugh at Genji being strung up like a pinata. He was more focused on the Talon agents about to turn his old friend into swiss cheese. He felt his body go cold. Well, alright demon, let’s play. He smirked and readied his gun. Line ‘em up. Knock ‘em down. Points on a board. He turned into the doorway and felt the ice in his veins focus and release like a too taut wire snapping.

 

He was used to it, used to the ice and cold that had led him through most of his life. Still on the rush of the high, he ran over and pulled out a knife, tossing it up to Genji who quickly released himself and nodded to McCree. It was only then the pair noticed Hanzo; his hair down and bow at his size, eyes wide.

 

Jesse decided to get the hell out of dodge at that moment and ran off. Hanzo, on the other hand, walked forward and checked his brother over. No injuries, nothing to warrant worry. He felt his brother lightly push him away and grab his sword.

 

“We’ll talk about this later Hanzo.” Genji’s voice was scarily serious.

 

“He saved your life.” Hanzo didn’t even realize the words slipped out.

 

“Not this first time. Won’t be the last.” There was a smile in Genji’s voice now as they headed off.

 

Had he been wrong? Had the idiot actually meant well and wasn’t taunting him? He mentally groaned at the thought and followed his brother. He wasn’t sure he could accept the...cowboy who saved his brother but he would at least tolerate him. After all, he wasn’t one to trust so easily. Soon enough they found the other members of Overwatch who had managed to hole up in the medbay...all but the cowboy.

 

“Hanzo.” Genji placed a hand on his brother’s arm.

 

“Hm?” He looked back to see his brother with his helmet off, mentally wincing at the scars that would always remind him of what happened.

 

“We should talk about a few things.”

 

~

 

Jesse had been so close to the medbay when he heard that familiar voice, running towards it with no care for his own well being. He stopped in Athena’s server room, seeing that shade of a man he once respected. He didn’t even hesitate to shoot the parasite of an electronic on Athena’s server.

 

“Gabe!” It wasn’t desperate, more rage as the shade turned and raised its’ shotguns.

 

He wasn’t going to back down this time though and darted out of the room, sliding in the hallway with ‘Reaper’ following right behind. He’d lead him somewhere safe, away from all the others. He got as far as the hangar bay as he tripped and rolled, turning back to get a shotgun to the face.

 

“Still too slow vaquero.” The voice was distorted and echoed. “No wonder you still understand so little.”

 

“Oh shove it up your ass!” He got his mind in order and felt the ice collecting in his veins. “Ain’t got nothin that’ll change my mind.”

 

“I have more than you’ll ever know.” Reyes moved too fast for the shot, Jesse missing and getting knocked to the ground. “Now go to sleep papá vaquero.”

 

And with that Jesse was knocked out to swim in the dark waters of the unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week i'll be starting school so I wanted to give y'all a quick chapter <3

Once again, Jesse was on restrictions. The blow to his head had been enough to silence the demon but now he had to be off duty because of how bad the blow was.  _ Honestly he’d had worse at BlackWatch but he wasn’t going to start complaining. _ He had full access to the base now after all, which meant he could get some answers to what Gabe had said. He wasn’t a dad...was he? He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, heading for the nearest room to calm down.   


  
Lately, he’d also been noticing Hanzo out of the corner of his eye, like the other was trying to study him. Maybe he was, he didn’t care either way. He just let it happen, relaxing into the role of being the base pet or whatever this was.   


  
He walked into one of the server rooms and relaxed into a chair, shutting his eyes and calmly spinning in the chair. Faintly, he hummed an old tune as he drifted off to something resembling sleep, eyes barely closed as he dreamed.

 

  
_ Jesse sat on a street corner, wrapped in a blanket an older lady had given to him a week ago. It was the middle of winter yet he felt so hot, his body shaking faintly with eyes closed. His mama had left the Earth just three months ago and with gangs rising up people’s generosity was running thin. _ _   
_

_   
_ _ He heard a voice and cracked open his eyes, seeing what almost look like an angel of an old man. Had he died? The man picked him up and held him close, whispering softly as they left the main area of the town. _ __   


_   
_ _ “Hush now little lost lamb.” The man’s voice was so soothing, gentle in tone as Jesse fell asleep against him. _ __   


_   
_ __ It wasn’t long before he woke up in a coughing fit though, now in an actual bed, something cold on his forehead. On a far wall seemed to be a cross of some kind and everything was a gentle and faded shade of sheep and shepherds. For some reason...he felt safer than he had in a long time.   


 

  
He woke up with a start as he heard the door close, looking around quickly. He instantly relaxed, realizing someone had placed a blanket over him and left.  _ Must have been worried about him but he’d slept with less. _ He then noticed a faint scent of cherry blossoms and sandalwood coming from the blanket, almost like a lullaby.   


  
He needed to stop sleeping and get to work, he had answers to find...but another five minutes wouldn’t hurt.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers. It's me. I'm currently dying of schoolwork and some form of GI issue again but I managed a chapter. Next is a plot point i've been waiting a good while for. Enjoy.

Hanzo still couldn’t figure out this idiot of a man. He seemed like he was hiding the Earth in his core but was more like a mangy dog than a person with how much he slept. He sighed through his nose, walking away from the server room as he found a quiet place to meditate.   


  
After the incident where the cowboy had saved his brother he had decided to be more...lenient towards him. He couldn’t be that much of a menace to save his brother. But on the other hand...that ice cold stare. It was like something else was controlling the scraggly man rather than the dopey idiot.  _ Something powerful. _   


  
He decided to let the thought pass as he found his usual nook in the hangar bay, climbing up with ease as he settled in like a robin come to nest. He relaxed his body and shut his eyes, slipping off to a calm and open space in his brain, his breathing now shallow. It was here he felt most at peace with the world. Here he could openly communicate with the dragons. 

 

  
_ What do you seek from us. _   


 

  
The dragons swirled around his body, their power licking at his skin much like flames. He had many questions to ask of them but one burned in his mind. One person who countered the fire of the dragons with ice of blood.   


  
“Tell me about Jesse McCree.” His voice was calm but there was a hint of edge there.   


 

  
_ The cowboy of unknown origins. A man with the training to kill. The training of darkness. He harbors evil within his heart and mind. A demon flows through his veins like ice water of high mountains. One to be cautious of. _   


 

  
He was right after all. The cowboy was a problem in his entirety. He was evil in a doughy body. Then why didn’t he act on it? Why have all the power of destruction but do nothing but nap? It made no sense to him.   


 

  
_ You are troubled. You find his actions impossible. Those with power either let their corruption form or fight the horrors for a sense of stability. _   


 

  
Well...he wasn’t one to talk in that circumstance. He had let the corruption of the Shimada clan take him over as he killed his brother. He let the dragons consume his rage. Was the cowboy in a similar situation? Why was he even thinking about this! He sighed and felt his body relax. He would get no more answers from the dragons.   


  
His eyes opened and he almost screamed as he jumped up, Genji’s face mere centimeters from his own. He wasn’t wearing his armor today, his hair void of it’s former green color. His clothes were baggy as if he had gone for a run recently. How much he smelled of sweat really gave it away.   


  
“What are you doing up here Hanzo?” Genji tilted his head with a bit of a smile.   
  


“Thinking.” He managed to regain his composure long enough to push his brother a bit. “Don’t ever do that again.”   
  


“Ehhhh sorry.” He laughed a bit. “You just looked so peaceful it was hard to miss the chance.” He gave a wink that made Hanzo roll his eyes.   
  


“Fine. What do you want.” Hanzo folded his arms.   
  


“Oh! Angela sent me. She wants to do a check up on you before this huge mission.”   
  


“Very well, let’s depart.” He sighed and walked off with his brother.   
  


He’d have to ask Genji one day why Jesse was the way he was. 


End file.
